unexplained dying in 2 of 3 tanks

**nerdyrcdriver** · 08-20-2012, 6:37 PM

Well, another guppy was acting funny the past day or two. His eyes got a little bigger, and seemed to maybe have struggled breathing. I narrowed down another factor. I thought my food was old, so I bought better, new food. The fish all love it, but I dont think I got him to eat it. Today he seemed to be really struggling and got sucked to the filter. I turned it off, he swam away and died an hour later.

Still bad stock? All of my levels are still good in the tank. Now that I think about it, there isnt much room to get oxygen bc the water is close to the top. If that was the way they got their oxygen. I will probably pick up a bubble wall tomorrow before work. I have my air pump ready.

**jpappy789** · 08-20-2012, 6:54 PM

Is the common denominator still all from the same source?

**nerdyrcdriver** · 08-20-2012, 7:09 PM

Originally Posted by jpappy789

Is the common denominator still all from the same source?

Actually, yes. All of the fish that died are from the same petsmart. The guppy I already had seems fine. The other two danios in that tank seem okay as well. In the 10g qt tank one of the danios seems fine, the other looks fine, and swims fine, but acts very differently. He spends a lot of time just hanging out at the bottom. But if the other danio swims up, they will swim together just fine for a while and the other will eventually stop and hang out again.

Any ideas?

The guppy I have had from the beginning seems fine. When I say the beginning, I mean it. Back when I filled up my 5g hex, went to petsmart, and tossed the fish in. I asked dundadundun for help (on an rc forum). I kept asking for his help, but then ignored it. Eventually I ended up here now taking it much more seriously and taking advice when I get it. That poor guppy has been through a lot. He started in the 5g, then moved to the 10g. Then after I tore down the 10g, he wound up in a 1g thing for a while, then into the 5g again, then into the 10g, and now into the 29. Now he will stay there for the rest of his life in good water conditions.

Now that I think about it, he is also from that same exact petsmart, but I have had him for over a year.

**nerdyrcdriver** · 08-23-2012, 10:12 PM

Ok, so I missed feeding the fish this morning because I was a little late (2nd day of school). I got home and my dwarf flame gourami (who seemed fine since I got him) was bloated. But I didnt have time to post because I had to get ready for work, go to work early, shop, and then start working. I got home a few min ago and my dwarf gourami was dead. It looked like he may have burst open in one spot. But I am not sure about that.

Does that sound like the disease that dwarf gourami get? It looked like the bottom front of his body and maybe the rear top turned brown or black. I didnt want to look at him that way. He was my favorite fish.

**ssuchem13** · 08-24-2012, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by nerdyrcdriver

Ok, so I missed feeding the fish this morning because I was a little late (2nd day of school). I got home and my dwarf flame gourami (who seemed fine since I got him) was bloated. But I didnt have time to post because I had to get ready for work, go to work early, shop, and then start working. I got home a few min ago and my dwarf gourami was dead. It looked like he may have burst open in one spot. But I am not sure about that.

Does that sound like the disease that dwarf gourami get? It looked like the bottom front of his body and maybe the rear top turned brown or black. I didnt want to look at him that way. He was my favorite fish.

Sounds like just bad stock. Missing. One feeding wont kill the fish. I've had hit or miss with gouramis. Dwarfs never seem to make it more than 6 months. Golden on the otherhand seem to work fine. Maybe try that in ur 29.

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**nerdyrcdriver** · 08-27-2012, 3:23 PM

Wow, I am really confused now. I got home from school today and my orig orange guppy was sucked dead to the filter. I have noticed all of the fish have been sucked to the aqueon 50, never the aquaclear 30.

Tank params still normal, been doing water changes, using dechlor (amount specified to detoxify chloramines as well). Been feeding the past week or so with new omega one food.

That guppy has been with me since the beginning. A month before I joined this forum, learned about cycling, and such. I am pretty sure he was "adult" size when I bought him though. That was over a year ago now. How long do guppies live?

So now the only fish left at 4 long finned zebra danios. 2 in the 10 and 2 in the 29g.

So now I am open to stocking with those guys.

**ssuchem13** · 08-27-2012, 3:35 PM

ive never been able to keep guppies from big box stores super long. ive kinda narrowed it down to they really have bad genetics in most cases, unless you get them from a breeder who knows their stuff and has a good reputation. ive had much better luck with platties.

**mpmistr** · 08-27-2012, 3:38 PM

I keep mollies, danios, cardinal tetras, and guppies all in the same 55g aquarium.. guess which ones always seem to wind up dead? I have no idea but guppies for me don't seem to ever live long for me either. I've been running my 55g for 4 months now and nothing in it has ever died besides.. guppies..

I would imagine the fish were stuck to the Aqueon 50 because it has a stronger pull but I highly doubt it caused the death or your fish.

**jpappy789** · 08-27-2012, 4:44 PM

Weak or sickly fish will get pulled into the filter intake...but any reasonably healthy fish should be fine.

Guppies are bred so heavily I wouldn't be surprised if the stock from a bigger store like that was poorer quality, possibly from inbreeding, and it just gave in now. IIRC guppies are supposed to live around 3-5 years so age could have been a factor.

**nerdyrcdriver** · 08-27-2012, 4:55 PM

Originally Posted by jpappy789

Weak or sickly fish will get pulled into the filter intake...but any reasonably healthy fish should be fine.

Guppies are bred so heavily I wouldn't be surprised if the stock from a bigger store like that was poorer quality, possibly from inbreeding, and it just gave in now. IIRC guppies are supposed to live around 3-5 years so age could have been a factor.

That is kind of what I was thinking with him. I bought him as an adult (at that same petsmart) over a year ago. So he was probably close to two years old, and hadnt been in great water conditions for part of his life (when I was first starting out).